What I've Learned at Microsoft

I’ll always remember my friends’ faces, when, nearly 7 years ago I announced I was moving to Seattle to go work for Microsoft. I was leaving Apple to be part of the nascent Microsoft Business Intelligence team and for someone who had spent his career in the Silicon Valley, the move was counterintuitive.

As I am now getting ready to leave Microsoft for a Silicon Valley Start-up, I look back on my time in Seattle and I’m thankful for the things I’ve learned at the number one software company in the world. Below is a reflection of my personal views. While I realize others might have had different experiences, readers should know there is a lot to learn from this company, its culture and its people.

The Vision Doesn’t Change. It’s the Way You Execute On It That Might.

Every startup leader understands the concept of the “Pivot”. By applying the principles of the renowned Steve Blank (“a startup is an organization formed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model”), entrepreneurs around the world start with a vision and modify (or “pivot”) their execution model until it works. This principle doesn’t simply apply to small outfits; it can sometimes work inside large organizations. Take the evolution of Microsoft’s Business Intelligence offering: built on top of a strong data platform, its end-user experience was incubated inside Office, augmented via acquisitions (ProClarity, Zoomix, DatAllegro), and parts of it were modified to reach market fit (PerformancePoint Services). As it turns out, Microsoft is probably one of the megavendors that has been able to execute on its vision (“democratize Business Intelligence”) with fewer pivots.

My point in highlighting this evolution, is that readers often associate “pivots” and “entrepreneurship” with small companies. They shouldn’t. Everyday, inside large and medium companies, there is opportunity to innovate and address customer needs in new ways. It’s up to you to find it and be part of the change you want to see. Finally, if anything, “pivots” teach us that “informed” perseverance pays off. So go ahead, test your hypotheses, talk to customers and “pivot” your offering until you get it right. You can be an entrepreneur, even inside a large company.

It’s Not You. It’s Them.

Jeff Raikes, [a former Microsoft President and now CEO at the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation], impressed me with his ability to express a product’s core value proposition simply. I remember when he talked about Unified Communications and how software should help people connect with each other better, regardless if phone calls came through a receiving physical phone or a PC: “people are not trying to connect with your phone, they are trying to connect with you” he said.

I had the opportunity to share the stage with Jeff. Similar to the other leaders I worked with, such as Stephen Elop [now CEO at Nokia], Ted Kummert, Tom Casey or Peter Klein, he shared an incredible ability to simplify messaging. Each taught me, that to be a successful marketer, you must first identify with your customers and want to solve their problems with passion. In other words, it’s rarely about you or about your product. It’s about your customer’s problem. This was re-inforced when I met Bill Gates for the first time at an executive retreat. His questions were precise and his ability to understand complexity and simplify it, was simply out of this world.

It is now time for me to turn the page onto a new chapter. In thinking through this new opportunity, I followed the advice Chris Capossela, the company’s current CMO and a leader I’ve admired, once gave me: “don’t leave a job because you don’t like it. Rather go somewhere else because it excites you”.

Leaving Microsoft and its people is hard. Where I’m going excites me. Talk to you all very soon!

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